The game was full of fisticuffs, but it could probably be broken down into two major melees. The worst one took place when Islanders enforcer Michael Haley bludgeoned Maxime Talbot and then challenged goalie Johnson, who was saved by Eric Godard, who left Pittsburgh’s bench.

Godard is almost certainly to receive a 10-game suspension and a hefty fine for leaving the bench and being the “third man in,” but the two teams might face some other discipline for what degenerated into an outright-embarrassing bouts of considerable violence.

The Islanders obviously had less to lose considering the fact that they’re far outside the playoff race, but they’ll certainly appreciate the added bonus of a lopsided win. What might be lost in the fracas fest is that three young Islanders crossed the 20-goal plateau in this game: John Tavares, Matt Moulson and Michael Grabner hit that mark. Johnson and Marc-Andre Fleury both appeared in the game for Pittsburgh, but Mikko Koskinen was the only man in the Isles’ net (stopping 35 out of 38 shots).

While the Long Island bunch are playing for pride, the Penguins must be worried. They’ve lost three of their last four games, only scoring six goals while allowing 17 in that span.

We’ll keep you updated regarding any suspensions, fines or other discipline that might result from this game. Both team play on Sunday (the Penguins in New York against the Rangers; the Islanders in Buffalo against the Sabres), so the league will likely be forced to make judgments on Saturday.

The two teams only have one more game left on the schedule: at Nassau Coliseum on Friday, April 8th. That will be the second-to-last game of the season for both teams, so it will be interesting to see how the playoff-likely Penguins approach that game. Whichever way Pittsburgh handles the situation, the league will likely have its eyes on that one after tonight’s rambunctious contest.